A WEYMOUTH couple used a three-year-old girl as cover to smuggle heroin, a court was told.

David Iain Shields, 31, and Emma Louise Pring, 24, pleaded guilty to importing heroin into Guernsey when they appeared in the Royal Court.

Shields, of Kirkleton Avenue, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years’ imprisonment and Pring, of Canberra Crescent, was given six years.

The pair admitted to travelling with a three-year-old child from Weymouth to Guernsey by ferry on July 14 last year in a joint attempt to smuggle Class A drugs.

The court was told that they disembarked separately and were stopped and examined by border agency officers.

When questioned about importing drugs Pring became concerned about the consequences to the child, who was travelling with her, and removed a 24g packet of heroin from inside her jeans.

Shields was detained and taken to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, Guernsey, by ambulance for medical examination. Over the next few days he was found to have concealed a 10.9g package of heroin and another of 17 diazepam tablets.

He also admitted importing the Class C drug diazepam and was sentenced to a two-year concurrent sentence.

In his summing up Judge Finch said: “I am dismayed that a young child had been used in this venture.

“I also cannot understand why David Shields, who has previously been sentenced by this court to over six years’ imprisonment for importing Class A drugs into Guernsey, would attempt a similar venture knowing the severity of Guernsey’s sentencing.”

Shields had previously been convicted of importing the Class A drugs ecstasy and crack cocaine onto the island in 2006.

At the time of his arrest he was on bail for supplying crack cocaine.

A spokesman for Guernsey Border Agency said sentencing by local authorities is more severe to deter future criminals.

He said: “On the basis that the local authorities take a very serious view of drug trafficking, people coming to the island with drugs can expect to be caught and given very severe sentences, particularly ones who are re-offending.

“In this case the young man had previously offended and obviously he had not learnt his lesson and was given a longer imprisonment because of this.

“The court also deemed the involvement of the young child to be an aggravating factor because why would you have the child with you if not as a part of the deception? A longer sentence was imposed because of this.”

He added: “In general the sentence is a lot longer than someone would get on the mainland for the same amount of heroin.

“The courts here take the view that even a small amount could cause a major problem in our community and the jail term reflects that. We want to send out a message that no one should contemplate taking drugs to Guernsey.”